Atom and Cora
by Tetsuwan Penguin
Summary: Cora has her first crush. What will happen when she discovers Atom's real identity as a super robot? How will Atom handle his first love? This is an Astro Boy pastiche story set in NYC. I hope a "T" rating is OK. There Nothing really racy except for some "French Kissing" and a few "four letter" words. If there are any complaints I can raise the rating to "M"
1. Chapter 1

**Cora and Atom**

**Chapter 1**

**Cora**

Cora jumped slightly at the sound of the telephone ringing. Her mind had been deeply occupied by a book she was reading and the loud ring tone coming from her phone brought her back into the real world like she had been slapped with a wet fish. She already knew who was calling from the ring tone, but a glance at the caller ID confirmed it and she was overjoyed over getting the call.

"Ellie!", Cora picked up the phone, "How are you sis?"

Ellie Smith was Cora's older sister. The two girls had shared a bedroom for almost all of Cora's life. Cora was now a 'tweenager' about to finish the sixth grade, and Ellie had just turned nineteen. They had been like two peas in a pod, one almost never going anywhere without the other. Ellie was now on the other side of the country attending college at UC Berkeley. The girls grandmother on their mother's side lived in the San Francisco area which probably played a strong role in her selecting that school from a short list of five others that she had been accepted to. Cora missed Ellie very much and was bummed out that she had decided to stay with their grandmother over the summer. Ellie probably had met a new boy friend at school Cora figured.

"So how is it going with that cute kid?", Ellie asked.

"What cute kid?", Cora played dumb to tease her sister.

"Come on, admit it sis." Ellie nudged, "You're having your first serious crush with this guy, aren't you?".

Cora gave in. "Yeah sis, the little guy is real nice. He's rather short for his age, but he is very mature. He's nothing like most of the other curmudgeons in my classes. Atom is like a knight in shinning armor. Did I tell you that he flattened this bully who's been stalking me along with two of his older henchmen, all at the same time!?"

"Sounds like a real dream boat", Ellie agreed.

Cora sighed, and then changed the subject.

"Please come home for the summer Ellie! I really miss you."

"We've been though that already sis", Ellie replied. "I'm staying with Gram so I can take a class for extra credit over the summer. She's only a short ride from the beach, and Freddie".

"HA! I knew there was a new boy friend behind things. Bet that class is something boring anyway."

"Not so!", Ellie defended herself. "Though I might have squeezed it in next semester if it wasn't available over the summer".

"You mean if Freddie wasn't available over the summer", Cora corrected her.

"Well that too", Ellie cooed.

"How's the weather back in Brooklyn?", Ellie asked. "Have you made use of my tool set yet?"

Ellie had taught herself how to pick common locks. She had purchased several sets of lock picks and soon became quite good using them. She then showed her little sister how to do the trick. All for a single devious purpose. On warm sunny days they'd climb the stairs up to the roof of the apartment building and Ellie would pick the lock to the roof. There was an alarm on the door leading to the roof at the top of the stairs which could be defeated with a key. Once the girls had gained egress to the top of the building they'd set up their lounge chairs on their 'tar beach' to sunbathe. They'd usually remove their bikini tops and soak up the sun topless, but sometimes they'd dare to sunbath completely nude. Nobody ever caught them in the three years they'd been doing it.

"It hasn't been warm enough yet, but the forecast for this weekend is nice", Cora told her sister. "I wish I had a friend to join me, it wouldn't be the same without you".

"I know you're lonely sis.", Ellie said with some guilt. "Listen, I'll try and fly back home for a week's stay. Freddie has a camping trip he's already committed to and I declined his offer to hike into mosquito infested woods. I'll probably leave him to the bears and skunks for a week and spend the time with you, OK?"

"What about your class?", Cora teased.

"It's only a few weeks long. Freddie's trip is after the finals. No problem"

"Are Mom and Dad in?", Ellie asked.

"You know they're not. If you wanted to talk to them you'd have called an hour or two later. Dad is at his Friday night poker game and mom is downstairs doing a load of laundry. The same routine EVERY Friday evening. I'm always at home with a good book."

"Well tell them I called and that I love them", Ellie said.

"OK. Bye Sis!"

"Bye".

"Click. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (dial tone)".

Cora hung up the phone and walked over to her desk. She opened the top draw and quickly found the lock picks along with the master pad locks she practiced on.

"Well let's see if I've lost my touch since last summer".

Cora inserted the torsion lever into the lock and then slid a pick into the key hole and felt along for the first tumbler. "There got one", she grinned. The second one took a bit longer, and she quickly had the third and forth in place. Carefully she rotated the torsion level being ready to stop if there was any binding so as not to break any of the fragile tools. The cylinder rotated through one hundred eighty degrees and the clasp of the lock popped up.

"I've still got the knack!", Cora smiled.

**Mike**

Mick Finkle had been used to being the center of attraction in elementary school. He knew all of the best dirty jokes which he'd repeat over and over again getting laughs from his classmates every time. Mike's parents spoiled him rotten. He was given a large allowance which he spent on candy, comics, and various 'black market' items such as cigarettes. He had a questionable talent of being able to fart almost at will that he thought was rather amusing. The boys thought he was funny, the girls just thought he was gross.

From the first day Mike had seen Cora in middle school he had wanted her to be his. Cora wished Mike would fall off the end of the world into the pits of Hell. When Mike wasn't hanging with the rest of the lower class students, he'd be stalking Cora looking for his his opportunity to be alone with her. He knew a few upper class goons that owed him favors for the cigarettes he got them, but some little pip squeak who must have taken martial arts classes had gotten in his way.

One day Mike followed Cora home from school to learn where she lived. He looked up the apartment number from the names on the mailboxes and learned she lived on the top floor. Maybe he could hid up there and wait for her to leave the apartment by herself, he figured to himself.

**Atom**

Atom had walked Cora home from school almost every day since the very first. They'd hold hands, talk, and look at each other. He'd never been invited upstairs to her apartment, and she had never accepted Atom's offers for her to come by his place. She seemed content to just be with him during their daily sojourn at school as her protector from the less mature males.

Atom had learned a few things about Cora that she was willing to share. Mr. Smith, Cora's father, worked as a motorman on the subway. He drove a train on the "B" line during the rush hour commute. The "B" line assignment was a sign of high standing among motormen, it took lots of experience to handle the train up and down the Manhattan bridge crossing. Cora had an older sister who was now in college on the west coast. Her name was Ellie. Cora's mother Nora worked part time at a day care center for preschool kids not far from their house.

Cora didn't live far from the Yamamotos' house where Atom lived. From his third story bedroom window Atom could see the apartment house where Cora lived, about a half mile away. He wasn't sure if her window faced his, but he would often stare out his window with his eyes on 'zoom' trying to catch a glimpse of her face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Cora and Atom**

**Chapter 2**

**Cora**

Saturday dawned as a sunny day with just a hint of a cooling breeze. Cora slept with her bedroom windows open just a crack to let in some cross ventilation. The cooing of a pigeon on her window sill combined with the mournful sobs of mourning doves in the London Plane trees outside gently woke her up. It was going to be a beautiful day.

Cora's dad had put himself on the extra list for overtime assignments. He figured the family could use the extra cash flow to support his daughter's college expenses. He had left the house early to start a shift on the "Sea beach" N line. Cora's mother had been awake since Mr. Smith had kissed her goodbye for the day and left the house. She busied herself in the kitchen with a morning talk show on one of the cable news channels visible on the small wall mounted TV in the kitchen.

Cora rummaged through the cabinet under her bathroom sink to look for some sunblock. There was a half tube left over from the end of last summer. She squeezed out a small glob and played with it in her hand. It looked like the stuff hadn't gone bad over the winter which would save a trip to the store, she thought. She got her lounge chair out of the hall closet and a bunch of beach towels from the hall linen cabinet. Next she dug deep in the bottom drawer of her dresser and found her favorite bikini.

"I hope it still fits me", she said to herself, "but if not I guess I'll just have to sunbathe without it".

Cora found a pair of good sunglasses in her dresser drawer, and the latest paperback romance novel she was reading on her desk, a place mark at about the middle of the book. Going into the kitchen she said good morning to her mom and started to fill a thermos cooler bottle with cold water and some ice cubes from the freezer.

"Don't tell me you're going up to the roof again to sun yourself?" Nora asked.

"It's been all winter since I've got any sun mom! I'm as white as a ghost!", Cora complained.

"Be sure you put on plenty of sunblock then", her mother warned. "It's your first exposure in months, you don't want to over do it".

"Yes mom, I will. I still have half a tube left from last year, and it's still alive."

Cora slipped her bikini bottom on and tied the side strings. It still covered the essential areas and didn't feel to tight or binding. The top was a bit different. While it still looked acceptable, it was obvious that she'd had a little growth upstairs since the winter.

"Looks like I've gained a bit in the boob department", Cora laughed. She really hadn't developed much yet, and she wouldn't have noticed it except for trying on the bikini. Then again, she should have expected that since getting her first 'training bra' a few weeks ago. Her mother had warned her that she'd soon have to worry about some other 'joys' of womanhood, but THAT hadn't yet happened.

**Mike**

Mike Finkle had gotten up early. He was in a dark mood and up to no good. Mike road his bicycle the few miles from his house to Cora's apartment house and found a good place to stake out. He had brought a toy periscope to see around corners and was using it to spy on the door to her apartment. Mike sat there for at least an hour before Cora emerged. She was wearing a tee-shirt and shorts over her bikini and had flip-flops on her feet. In one hand she carried a large shopping bag that was stuffed to overflowing. In the other she gripped a folded up lounge chair. Cora entered the first stair case and the door closed behind her. Mike followed on cat's feet trying hard not to make a sound. He slowly opened the door to the stair case and peeped inside. He then entered and slowly closed the door behind him. Mike looked down between the flights of stairs but didn't see anyone. He looked up and saw Cora bent over on her knees picking the lock to the roof door.

"What a crafty bitch you are Cora", he smiled.

**On the Roof**

Mike watched as Cora worked on the lock. It took her only ten minutes to crack it. After she opened the door she removed a roll of "Duck Tape" from her bag and ripped off a strip which she used to block the door strike so the lock couldn't re-engage when the door shut. She then walked out onto the roof.

Mike walked up to the top level. He crouched down and peered out the bottom of the windows that provided a view of the roof from the staircase.

Cora unfolded the lounge chair and laid several layers of beach towels on top of it. She sat down in the middle of the chair and removed her Tee shirt and shorts stuffing them into the shopping bag. After looking around by force of habit, she removed her bikini top and started to apply the sunblock . She started with her arms and legs, then her back (which wasn't easy as she had to flex hard to reach everywhere). She then rubbed some on her breasts and stomach, finishing off with her forehead, nose and cheeks.

"I hope I've got everything important covered", she thought, "I don't want to burn". Cora lay on her stomach propping her self up with her elbows. She opened her paperback novel and started to read.

**Atom**

Atom had slept later than usual. Maybe staying up to watch that old Japanese monster movie on late night TV had something to do with it. He wandered into the kitchen wearing just his metallic briefs in his bare feet.

Dr. Tenamann had made a few "upgrades" for Atom the last time he had been in the country. Atom's formally "webbed" feet now sported five distinctive toes each. His limb sockets were modified along with his torso so that he could be lengthened later on to give the appearance of having grown a bit like a real boy. Atom's real father had also promised him another special upgrade later on, but hadn't been specific as to what that would be. Atom was happy to be the short ten year old child analog he was for the time being.

Sachiko Yamamoto was making herself and Ken'ichi some tea. Atom walked over to the 'fridge and got himself out a premixed bottle of Castor oil and mineral water. He shook the bottle rapidly to recombine the separated liquids and drank right from the bottle.

Ken'ichi was sitting at the table reading the Times. He looked up from the paper at Atom.

"So did Godzilla get his in the end again?", he asked.

"Yeah", Atom said. "I can't believe how fake that looked".

"What time did you get to bed, 1am?", his foster father asked.

"I would have except that the cable channel dug up an even older piece of Japanese junk", Atom laughed. "They ran several episodes of a live action Tetsuwan Atom TV show. It was in Japanese with some poorly translated English subtitles. I found the translations quite funny!"

Ken'ichi smiled. "I haven't seen that in ages. I almost wish I had stayed up with you. But then your mother would have had to come out and drag me into bed so she could get some sleep. She always complains she can't sleep without some of my 'attention'."

Atom didn't quite get Ken'ichi's last remark and he let it slid past him.

"I'm going to get dressed now", Atom said as he walked back to his room.

Since it looked like it was going to be a warm day Atom found a pair of short pants from the dresser, and an "Avengers" Tee Shirt with Iron Man and the Hulk on the front. He put them on and then pulled his classic red boots over his bare feet. He opened the window facing Cora's apartment building a few inches to let in some air, and to hear the sounds of the city below him. Sparrows chirped in a tree below his window and he could see the face of a squirrel starring up at him from the top of the tree.

**Cora's roof**

Cora had her back facing the door to the staircase. She was deeply into the romance novel, a typical story of a woman who meets her "prince" after he saves her from an unwanted suitor. She loved the stuff.

Mike slowly opened the door and closed it behind him without a sound. He walked on the tips of his Keds with all the skill of an experienced cat bugler. When he was within a few feet of Cora he spoke.

"Hello Cora dear. It's a wonderful day isn't it?"

Cora turned around and screamed. She grabbed one of the towels and held it in front of her chest. "What the FUCK are you doing here you monster!", she yelled out.

"Now that's not the way to talk to a good friend", Mike said as he picked up the shopping bag and threw it over the knee wall to the street below.

Cora got up and backed away from Mike.

"Leave me alone!", she screamed.

"Not a chance babe. Come here and give me a kiss will you", Mike said.

Cora looked to her right and left. She faked a move left and then broke into a run to her right, holding onto the towel with one hand. Mike chased after her. She tried to get past him to get back to the stairwell, but he blocked her path. There was a sheet of metal flashing running from the low knee wall along the edge of the roof that had been tarred down for a quick patch of a leak a few days earlier. The area was still wet from a quick overnight shower. Cora's flip-flops lost traction on the slick surface and she fell against the wall. She lost her balance and fell over the edge. Her arms flew up and four fingers manged to grab hold of the brick and concrete surface, she dangled seven stories in the air. She yelled the first thing that came into her head.

"HELP! ATOM HELP ME!"

**ATOM**

Atom was staring out his window into space, his eyes not really focused on anything in particular. He thought he heard Cora's voice so he put his hands to his ears and turned his hearing up to 1000 times gain. He heard it loud and clear. "ATOM HELP ME!". He looked to where the sound came form. He zoomed his vision in and saw Cora hanging from the edge of the roof. Her grip was failing.

It took only micro seconds. The He3 reactor in his chest powered up to 200% full power. Both of the ion-plasma ram jets in his legs fired full blast with full after burners blazing. Atom blasted out of the window like a sixteen inch shell fired from the gun turrets of the USS Massachusetts. He was going supersonic before he left the room, the window exploded outward and the pieces fell to the street below. In the Sachiko's kitchen glasses and crockery shattered from the sonic boom.

Cora's grip failed and she started to drop to the street below. A look of horror filled Mike's face and he turned toward the stair well to run away. Atom chewed up the half mile distance between his window and Cora before she had reached the level of the fourth floor. He had quickly decelerated and was hovering below her to catch her in his arms. (_Author: I'll leave it as an exercise for the mathematically inclined to calculate Atom's velocity!)_

Cora fainted the moment Atom caught her. He slowly flew upward over the knee wall and landed just in front of it. Atom walked over to the lounge chair and gently set Cora on it. Behind him he heard the door to the stairwell slam shut. Mike was bounding down the stair case two steps at a time. He thought he was about to be arrested for man slaughter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cora and Atom**

**Chapter 3**

**The roof of Cora's Apartment building**

Cora opened her eyes and starred into Atoms large, moist brown eyes that were gazing back at her and smiled.

"Are you OK Cora?", Atom asked with concern in his voice.

Cora grabbed him and pulled him toward her. She pressed her lips against his wrapping her arms around his neck. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and started to probe, feeling the roof of his mouth, his teeth and tongue. Cora started to purr with delight.

For Atom this was a totally new experience and he didn't know how to respond. Deep in his subconscious a primitive instinct from man's caveman past that had been downloaded into Atom's brain from Adam Tenamann's own subconscious took control. Atom pushed his tongue into Cora's mouth and gently probed hers. Their tongues briefly wrestled each other and then withdrew. Atom felt a strange pleasurable warmth in his groin and wrapped his arms around Cora's trunk and held her tight.

Cora gently pushed him away and gazed into his eyes again.

"What just happened?" She asked.

Cora looked around and realized that she was naked from the waist up. She grabbed a towel and quickly wrapped it around herself, fighting back a blush of embarrassment.

Slowly Cora returned to reality.

"How did I get here?" She asked. "I fell off the roof!"

Atom quickly tried to make up a believable story. He wanted to keep his real identity as not quite human a secret

"You were just above the fire escape. I caught you and climbed back up the ladder", he explained.

Cora wanted to believe that. It would make matters simpler. But she knew where she had gone over roof. The horrible scene was still looping over and over in her mind. She had fell over the knee wall a good ten feet from the fire escape.

"No Atom, I wasn't over the fire escape. Not even close. Care to try again?"

Atom knew he was trapped. His secret was out. The only thing he could do now was to find the best way to explain it.

"Let's go down to your house so you can get dressed Cora. I'll explain things in a bit".

Atom had bought himself a little time. He still didn't know how he was going to tell Cora what had happened, how he was able to save her.

Cora knocked on the door to her apartment and her mother opened the door. She saw Cora wrapped in a towel with Atom holding her hand.

"That scumbag Mike from school followed me up the the roof and threw my clothes into the street", she told her. "Atom scared the asshole away".

Cora went into her room and Atom waited in the family area where Cora's mother was watching a movie on the DVD player. It was the original 'Superman' flick with Christopher Reeve. The flying scene where Superman and Louis Lane take to the sky over Metropolis was on the screen. Atom got an idea.

"Lets go outside Cora, I'll explain things to you.", he said.

They walked out of the building and into the street. There was a small park a few blocks away, and they walked there hand in hand. Cora sat down on a bench and Atom sat next to her.

**Can you read my mind?**

"I saw you fall from the roof from my bedroom window Cora. I got here as quick as a could, and caught you, then carried you back to your lounge chair.", Atom said.

"Yeah right, running at warp nine maybe", she choked back.

"Something like that" Atom said looking around to make sure they were alone.

He pulled his shirt off and pressed his index finger to his chest.

"Please don't faint on me girl", he told her.

Cora's eyes widened as a blue outline appeared on Atom's chest and revealed the opening of his chest panel. Atom opened it.

"I'm an android", he explained.

Cora almost fainted. "You mean like …. Astro Boy or something?"

Atom smiled, "I guess that's EXACTLY what I am". Atom closed his chest panel.

"Cora", he asked. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Not exactly the thing you ask someone that just fell of the roof of a six story building!", she laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so. But ARE you?"

"Not if you're with me", she said.

"Stand on the bench then, OK?".

Cora stood on the bench and Atom got off and stood in front of her.

"Climb on my back Cora. Grab me around the neck and hold on tight. Wrap your legs around my waist".

Cora nervously did what Atom asked.

Atom put his arms behind him and wrapped them around Cora locking his fingers together.

"OK Cora, here we go!"

Atom slowly rose into the sky.

Cora held her breath as the ground dropped beneath them.

"We're flying!", she gasped kissing Atom on the cheek.

{_Cue Astro Boy march music from '63 series_}

Atom flew south toward the ocean. They reached the boardwalk and he turned to the west. The grounds of the old Steeplechase park were below them. Atom circled over the old parachute jump ride tower and slowly descended. He located a strong looking large beam and landed on it. He knelt down for Cora to get off. She sat on the beam with her feet dangling over the side and Atom sat next to her.

"You can see for miles from here!" he told her.

She looked to the west and could see New Jersey. To the east was Rockaway and the Gill Hodges Bridge. Behind her was all of Brooklyn with the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the distance. She could see the statue of Liberty, the Empire State building and the new Freedom tower under construction in Manhattan.

"This is super!" she smiled. "I love you Atom!".

Cora grabbed him and pulled him toward her. They exchanged a passionate kiss for several minutes.

Atom looked deeply in Cora's eyes and smiled. She returned the gaze.

"You know, I could stay up here forever with you Atom."

They sat with their hands locked looking at each other and exchanged a few more kisses for the next hour. Finally Atom had Cora climb on his back for the return flight.

{_Reprise Astro Boy march music from '63 series_}

They flew over Coney Island and turned north over Ocean Parkway. Atom buzzed over Prospect Park and turned West toward the Verrazano Bridge. He flew over the Narrows and then turned east at Cropsey Avenue toward Avenue U. They landed in the park where they had first taken off from.

Atom walked Cora back to her house. He found her shopping bag hanging in a tree and flew up to retrieve it. Cora took the bag from Atom.

"I wish that scumbag Mike would get hit by a bus", she scowled.

"Don't worry about him", Atom said. "He's all mine".

"No, don't hurt the idiot", Cora replied.

"Oh I wouldn't do anything like that", Atom laughed.

By now the sun was starting to sink lower in the sky.

"My mom is going to start getting worried. I think we should call it a day, Atom", Cora said.

"See you in school on Monday?", Atom asked.

"I can't wait", she sighed.

Atom kissed her goodbye and took off. He did a barrel roll and made an Immelmann turn to head back to his own house. It was the happiest day of his life.

_Authors Note:_

_I had introduced the Cora character into my story "New York City on the Edge of Forever" and the idea of a love story between them popped into my head and would not go away. Rather than loose it I put the NYCOTEOF story aside for a bit to capture this one. "Atom and Cora" just poured out of me into the keyboard. I got some ideas from the original Superman Movie flying scene with Louis Lane and Superman buzzing over the city._

_I hope you found this short tale to your liking, now I can get back to finishing my other work still in progress._


End file.
